


The Central City Examiner - Society Pages (The Marriage Bargain)

by elrhiarhodan



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Authorized by the Awesome Author, Eobarry, F/F, F/M, Gen, Journalism, The Marriage Bargain, barrison, no powers au, related work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2016-08-29
Packaged: 2018-08-11 16:40:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7900105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elrhiarhodan/pseuds/elrhiarhodan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The announcement of Edward Thawne's engagement to Iris West is more than just a romance, it's news that has consequences for two very different families.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Headlines

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Marriage Bargain](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7332529) by [Kyele](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyele/pseuds/Kyele). 



> Kyele, the extraordinary author of [The Marriage Bargain](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7332529?view_full_work=true) has been kind enough to let me play in her sandbox and create the newspaper articles that alerted Malcolm Cobalt to the existence of Barry Allen.

 

**Edward Thawne to Wed Iris West**  
**Blueblood Police Officer to Marry Into the West Family**

  **Edward Thawne,** a scion of the renowned **Thawne Family** , has agreed to marry **Ms. Iris West** , the only daughter and heir of **Mr. Joseph West** , the head of the **West Family**.  

Ms. West, 26, is a reporter with the Central City Picture News.  She holds a master's degree in journalism from Central City University, and is a native of Central City.

Mr. Edward Thawne, 32, is a detective with the Central City Police Department, but was born and raised in Keystone City, and is the son of **Senator Emil Thawne** and **Mrs. Catherine Thawne** , _nee_ **Crenshaw**.

The marriage settlement, filed with the Central City Probate Court, states that Ms. West paid $1.2 million dollars for the right to have Mr. Thawne marry into the West Family.  It is believed that Ms. West's adoptive brother, Barry Allen, funded the betrothal payment to the Thawne Family, but this has not been confirmed.

* * *

 

**THE HEAD OF THE THAWNE FAMILY COMMENTS**

**Dr. Eobard Thawne,** the head of the Thawne Family, has this to say about the betrothal of his cousin, Edward Thawne, to Ms. Iris West:

**  
** _"My cousin, Eddie, is a man of great moral strength.  He has, with much success, forged his own path in public service, and there is no greater good than that.  Ms. West, a talented, intelligent and altogether valuable woman from a family with a long history of public service, has captured my cousin's heart and has brought him great joy.  I wish them happiness and prosperity in their marriage.  I hope that all of Central City will share my pleasure at the joining of Edward to Iris and to the West Family."_

* * *

 

  **A Love Match?**

Not much is known about how Ms. West and Mr. Thawne met, and neither party has made any official comments.

  
Some periodicals have speculated that Ms. West and Mr. Thawne met while on holiday in the Azores, and others have suggested that Ms. West rescued Mr. Thawne from certain death.  
However, it is this paper's position that Ms. West and Mr. Thawne became acquainted through Ms. West's father, Mr. Joseph West, as Mr. West is also a detective with the Central City Police Department and Mr. Thawne is assigned as his partner.

  
Regardless, we wish this unusual couple the best. 


	2. The Thawne Family

 

**About the Thawne Family**

 

The **Thawne Family** , bluebloods for many generations, have had significant impact on the lives of all Central City citizens since the founding of the metropolis.  The family owns key production facilities in many industries, ranging from transportation to manufacture to scientific research.  Not just captains of industry, members of the Thawne Family are distinguished politicians, lawyers and inventors.

  
The current head of the Thawne Family, **Dr. Eobard Thawne, Ph.D**., is the son of Emilia Thawne (deceased) and Ethan Thawne (nee Reid), of the Century City Reids (deceased).  (The Reids, a blueblood family with long-standing ties to the publishing industry, are the sole owners of the Central City Examiner).

  
Dr. Thawne, as the heir to the Thawne Family estates has enjoyed both a distinguished academic and professional career.  A graduate of Philips Exeter  Academy (Valedictorian, Class of 1980) in Connecticut, young Thawne matriculated to the prestigious Gonville  & Caius College at Cambridge University, where he graduated with Double First Honors in Maths and Science (1983).  He then attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology and completed his Ph.D. (1985) in theoretical particle physics, publishing groundbreaking work on the insulating properties of CFL quark matter.  

  
For the next few years, Dr. Thawne continued his research at several prestigious institutions, including the Princeton Institute for Advanced Studies, the Imperial College in London and the Zurich Institute.  However, Dr. Thawne was highly conscious of his position as heir to the vast Thawne Family holdings and the responsibilities that entailed, ended his academic career in 1991.  Dr. Thawne, together with such notable colleagues from MIT as Dr. Nora Allen (deceased) and **Dr. Christina McGee** , founded the **Science and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories** (otherwise known as S.T.A.R. Labs).

  
Dr. Thawne and several members of the S.T.A.R. Labs team were nominated for a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1996 for their work in particle physics, but were not the ultimate recipients of the award.  

In 1997, following a long illness, Emilia Thawne, the head of the Thawne Family passed away.  Dr. Eobard Thawne became head of the Thawne Family, which includes responsibilities for the Thawne Family business holdings, specifically **Thawne Industries**.  Dr. Thawne has led Thawne Industries into a period of great growth and profitability, to the benefit of all family members.

  
Dr. Thawne personally supports numerous Central City charities and is a great patron of the arts, funding the Thawne Gallery at the Central City Fine Arts Museum, the Thawne Library, and of course, Thawne Hall, Central City's finest classical music venue.

  
His charitable works also include the funding of numerous educational and health benefit programs for the less fortunate of Central City.

  
Dr. Thawne is a confirmed bachelor and has not been romantically linked with anyone since his early days at S.T.A.R. Labs, when he was frequently seen in the company of both Dr. Nora Allen and Dr. Christina McGee. The former went on to chose her spouse from a less luminous level of Central City society, and the latter has not married.

  
His blueblood peers consider Dr. Thawne to be a fair and honest gentleman of great probity, honor and temperament.   The scions of the Thawne Family have all expressed their pleasure and appreciation for the hard work that Dr. Eobard Thawne does to ensure their continued prosperity


	3. The Wests and The Allens

 

**About the West Family**

The **West Family** is a modest Middle Class clan that has been part of the framework of Central City for seven decades.

  
The West Family has a distinguished history of service to Central City.  Wallace West (deceased), the father of **Mr.  Joseph West,** the current Head of the West Family, was a history teacher at Central City High School, rising to the level of department head before retiring.  Mr. West, himself, is a highly decorated member of the Central City Police Department.  

  
Sadly, the West Family has seen its share of tragedy.  The West son, Wally, was killed in an auto accident in early 2000, along with his mother, Ms. Francine Stewart.

  
Following the shocking murder of the Allen Family, Mr. West became the foster father to the sole surviving Allen, **Bartholomew (Barry) Allen,** on the strength of his friendship with the West daughter, **Iris** (fiancée to **Edward Thawne** ).  

  
When young Mr. Allen turned eighteen and became a legal adult, he filed a petition for formal adoption by the West Family, which was granted without objection.  Perhaps out of respect for his mother's family, he retained the family name of Allen.

 

* * *

 

**The Sad Fate of the Allen Family**

Citizens of Central City may recall the shocking home invasion and multiple homicides that all but wiped out the **Allen Family.**

In March, 2000, two assailants broke into the Allen family home and killed Dr. Nora Allen, the head of the Allen Family; her husband, Dr. Henry Allen, nee Garrick, and two Allen cousins, Donald and Dawn Allen, children of Nora's younger sister, Natalie, who were staying with the family while Miss Allen was undergoing medical treatment.

The nine-year old Allen son, Bartholomew Henry Allen, survived the massacre by escaping out of the back door and running away.  By the time he returned with the police, his family was dead.  
Miss Natalie Allen, upon learning of the deaths of her children, discontinued her medical treatment and passed away two months later.  

The Allen son, the sole surviving member of the Allen Family, went to live with Mr. Joseph West, the police officer investigating the homicides.

  
The assailants were later identified as Clyde and Mark Mardon. who believed that there were drugs at the Allen house.  Dr. Henry Allen was a noted physician and researcher in pain treatment.

 

* * *

 

**The S.T.A.R. Labs Connection**

Barry Allen, sibling to the bride-to-be, **Iris West,** continues a tradition began by his mother, the late Dr. Nora Allen, Ph.D., who was one of the first employees at the technology powerhouse, S.T.A.R. Labs.  Mr. Allen, with a Masters of Science in Forensics, has recently joined the S.T.A.R. Labs alpha project development team, working closely with **Hartley Rathaway** , MS/MBA., and **Dr. Caitlin Snow,** M.D. 

 


End file.
